No matter how carefree we are in our youth, as we start to approach retirement age, we begin to value reliability and predictability — in our portfolios as well as our Wi-Fi connections.

It’s also when we begin to prioritize income generation over capital growth. Fortunately, income-focused doesn’t have to mean low return, and a fixed-income portfolio might be just the ticket for a financially carefree retirement.

Do you know how to start building a powerful investment portfolio?

An investment portfolio is simply a rundown of your assets — stocks, bonds, real estate, mutual funds, 401(k) retirement account, savings, money market accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), cryptocurrency, employee stock options, and futures.

Now let’s talk about how to build a strong one.

You’re young. You’ve got time on your side. Conventional wisdom may say: Invest heavily in stocks. You’ve got many years ahead to ride out any downturns.

Investing while staying true to one’s personal values, including approaches that focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, is growing in popularity. While many people want their investments to reflect their personal values, many also question whether they can achieve good financial results with an ESG strategy.

While the stock market tends to dominate news cycles surrounding any current large-scale event, too many average Americans are uneducated when it comes to investing. When many people see reports of record market highs and losses, massive government bailouts, and changing legislation regarding interest rates and taxes, they do not have the educational background or investing experience to translate these headlines into meaningful analyses and applications for their daily lives. Investing education is critical for all Americans, particularly in times of economic turmoil. Consider these benefits of investing education before diving into financial commitments.